Handover of staff at Lenzerheide Bergbahnen
Thomas Küng has been the new CEO of Lenzerheide Bergbahnen since June 2021. His predecessor, Peter Engler, assisted him in an advisory capacity during a transitional phase in recent weeks, and is now contesting his last days in Lenzerheide. He is leaving the company at the end of June after a total of nine years.
"When I took up my position at LBB nine years ago - at that time as Head of Administration and Deputy CEO - I had no idea what was in store for me. And the time has already come for me to say 'goodbye'. The time in which I was able to experience a lot has passed quickly," writes Peter Engler in an industry info to the service providers of the Lenzerheide vacation region. He will leave Lenzerheide with a laughing, but above all with a crying eye. He goes on to thank everyone - especially the employees of LBB - who have accompanied him on his journey over the past years.
A merger and large investments
The technical connection to Arosa in the form of the Urdenbahn already existed before Peter Engler took office as CEO, but the cooperation between the two mountain railway companies still had to be developed in various areas such as personnel, cashiering or tariff systems. "Peter Engler brought the physical connection to Arosa to life with great personal commitment and tirelessly and consistently drove implementation across the mountain," says Felix Frei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LBB. It is thanks to him that cooperation today is at such an open and transparent level, characterized by trust, he adds.
In addition to the merger with Arosa, various major investment projects have also been on Engler's agenda in recent years. These include the construction of the Churwalden portal with the new Heidbüel panoramic lift, the construction of the Obertor chairlift in Parpan (east-west connection of the two sides of the valley in Lenzerheide) and the conversion of the Motta Hut. Various investments in snowmaking equipment were also realized during Engler's time as CEO.
From Engelberg to Lenzerheide
So these are not small shoes to fill for Engler's successor. Thomas Küng steps. However, the 40-year-old from Lucerne is a specialist: After graduating with a Master of Arts in Management from the University of Fribourg, he gained extensive experience in strategy consulting and conception for mountain railroads, tourism organizations and railroad companies as Deputy Managing Director and Project Manager at Grischconsulta in Chur, before successfully steering the fortunes of the Brunni Railways in Engelberg as Managing Director for nine years. As part of a consulting mandate in the development of LBB's corporate strategy 13 years ago, Küng also got to know his new employer at that time.
